


Life isn't always Rosy

by Shakinnmovin



Series: Juggie and Betty- Married life is a whole different ball game. [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Babies, Eventual Smut, F/M, Forever friends, Happily Ever After, Life isn't always rosy, Love, Married Life, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sex after babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-10-05 02:21:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10295366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shakinnmovin/pseuds/Shakinnmovin
Summary: Betty and Jughead are married. Follow them through their ups and downs.





	1. Chapter 1

Jughead sat in his car which was parked in the driveway of the house he shared with the love of his life, Betty Cooper. No- It was Betty Jones. They had been married a little more than 4 years. He looked at the split level house that they bought together less than a year ago. He was reluctant to buy it. It was a real fixer upper. EVERYTHING needed to be fixed. The floors, the roof, the landscaping, electrical, plumbing...everything. Jughead worked 70 hours a week and wanted to relax in the little spare time he had. Betty had insisted and pouted. And Jughead couldn't resist the pout. The pout coupled with the doe-eyed look and Jughead was putty in Betty's delicate hands.

Their savings had been meager but the house was so horrendous that the low ball offer was accepted without any push back. Betty was excited while Jughead was, as usual, cautious. Jughead remembered her face when the realtor had given them the keys of the house. Her blue eyes shone and her entire face lit up. She had thrown her arms around his neck and started to squeal and jump around at the same time. Jughead had held Betty to steady her and her enthusiasm had spread to him. The uncertainty of what they were doing vanished.

Betty had insisted that Jughead carry her across the threshold. He barely did. Strength of body was not his strong suit. Their first night there, on a mattress on the floor looking at the cracks on the ceiling, was surprisingly perfect. Betty has told him all the things that she was going to change in the house. Jughead wasn't listening to half the words coming out of Betty's mouth but he stared at her beautiful face and was in awe that she was with him. At one point, Jughead had reached out and touched Betty's plump lips with his finger. Not to stop her from talking but to check if she was real. Betty had given Jughead a quizzical look and had pulled him down for a kiss. They had made love, slowly and tenderly, all night long. They watched the sky turn from midnight blue to a red streaked light blue. 

Jughead's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and let out a sigh. "Hello," Jughead said.

"Hey, man," Archie's baritone voice was heard through the phone, "you guys want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?"

"I don't think so, Arch"

"Ronnie will be there and Kevin is bringing his latest boy toy. That's good for a few laughs. Cheryl said she'd try to come over too."

"I don't think Betty is up for it," Jughead said sadly.

Archie's voice changed. His voice was softer when he asked, "How is she?"

"She's ...recovering. The house is a mess of unfinished projects. She starts sewing curtains and instead of finishing, she digs up the backyard and then she started removing the tiles in the spare bathroom... She's trying to keep her mind occupied and then when that doesn't help, she stays in bed for days. Doesn't talk. Doesn't eat. She doesn't want the pills that the doctor gave her. When I asked her to try them last week, she went all crazy on me. I don't know what to do. I tried not taking any assignments away from the home office but I couldn't avoid this one. I just got back from a 3 day assignment. I'm sitting in the driveway, not knowing what I'm going to get when I go in. Hyperactive Betty or the depressed one." Jughead sighed and then apologized. "Sorry- didn't mean to lay this all out on you." 

Jughead leaned back in his seat and switched off the car engine.

"Jug, it's okay. You need to let this stuff out. Betty had a miscarriage and it's been just 6 weeks. She'll go back to normal soon." Archie reassured Jughead.

"Well..." Jughead said disbelievingly, "I better go in. I haven't seen Betty in 3 days and apart from texts, we haven't even had much contact. You know these 3 days have been the longest that I haven't spoken to her since high school?"

Archie didn't say anything. 

"Bye Arch."

"Bye. Call me if you need anything."

Jughead took his backpack out of the car trunk and walked to the front door. He jammed his keys into the lock and took a deep breath, bracing himself. He walked in and called out, "Betts? I'm home. Where are you?" 

The living room and kitchen had no sign of her. He went to their bedroom, and then the bathroom, switching on the lights on his way. There was no sign of her. Jughead's heart started to race. He dropped his backpack and moved to the guest room, the guest bath and the tiny office room at the back of the house, calling for Betty. He ran his hand through his black hair and pulled out his phone to check if he had missed a message from her. 

On impulse, Jughead opened the backdoor. There Betty was, seated on their porch swing holding something in her hand. She had earbuds in her ears and was looking at her phone. She didn't look up, until Jughead was almost on top of her. 

"Why the fuck are you out here? Didn't you hear me calling you?" Jughead was relieved and pissed off.

Betty pulled out the earbuds with one hand and said, "Sorry. I was listening to some music and just watching the stars. I didn't hear you," Betty said.

Jughead flopped down next to her and let out a sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his messy hair. "I was worried. I didn't know where you were."

Betty laid her head on Jughead's shoulder. He tensed up. It was the first time in 6 weeks that she had touched him first. He was the one who pulled her into hugs, kissed her forehead, massaged her shoulders. She kept pushing him away, physically and emotionally. 

Betty turned her head slight and kissed his arm through the shirt Jughead was wearing. "I'm sorry, Juggie." 

Jughead reached out and held Betty's hand. After a few minutes, she pulled away and pulled her head upright. He threw his arm around Betty's shoulders trying to prolong the physical contact. She didn't move away but held out her hand which held a tissue wrapped object.

Jughead took it from her and put it on his lap. He gently opened it with one hand. It was a pair of crocheted white baby booties with white bows on the top. 

"I know you told me to wait to buy things for the baby. But when I crossed the 12 weeks, I was passing by this store and came across these booties. I thought for the christening...." Betty's voice drifted.

Jughead felt a huge lump in his throat and tears threatened to fall. He pursed his lips trying to control himself. This was the first time Betty talked about the miscarriage. It was a shock to them when it happened at 14 weeks. They had already told their close friends about the pregnancy. Jughead called Ronnie while Betty was in the hospital recovering from the D&C. Ronnie had taken it upon herself to tell the rest of the gang. She helped with meals and even stayed over for a few nights. 

Luckily- Betty was pursuing her Master's degree and the miscarriage had happened just as she finished her semester. Jughead had insisted that she take the next semester off. Betty was too numb to say anything but just went along with whatever Jughead had said. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to have insisted on. 

"I'm sorry for being so difficult, " Betty said. "I couldn't snap out of this dark place and then when I was searching for something this evening, I saw this. I thought I would break but somehow I feel better."

"You take all the time you need. I'll always be there for you. I just want you to open up and tell me what you're feeling and thinking or my mind drifts to worst case scenario and I freak out...

"I know. I'm sorry. I love you," Betty looked up at Jughead and craned her neck to give him a soft peck on the lips. 

"I love you," Jughead said as he gave Betty back the booties. "You were so excited about the baby. I was just plain scared. I don't know what kind of father I will be. I didn't want to talk about the baby or get excited until I saw the baby but after we told Ronnie, Archie and Kevin, I started to feel comfortable. I started to actual believe that this was a good thing and I ...named the baby."

"What?" Betty asked. She turned her entire body to face him and tucked her feet under her. She placed a hand on his cheek and looked right into his gray eyes. 

"Yeah. I named the baby Ariella. I always liked the name. I was imagining what our baby would look like and I thought black hair, blue eyes, chubby, angelic and ...I thought Ariella. Ariella Jones."

"Ariella. That's a beautiful name, Juggie"

"And when the doctors report said that the baby was a girl..." Jughead stopped and tears started to stream down his face. 

"Baby," Betty said as they wrapped their arms around each other. Both of them crying. 

4 months later:

Betty walked out of the bathroom holding a pregnancy test and wearing a huge smile on her face. Jughead was waiting for her on the edge of their bed, both feet tapping the floor a mile a minute.

"Yes?" Jughead asked excitedly.

"Yes!"

Jughead rushed over and hugged her. He pushed his face in the nook of her neck. 

"I'm scared, Juggie."

"It's going to be okay. I know it." Jughead said firmly. 

Betty and Jughead pulled apart and looked at each other. No matter what they had each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty- smut! Bughead- all the way.

Jughead always tried to be home for dinner but there were days, like today, that there was one crisis after another and leaving the office on time was impossible. He looked at his phone and hoped he was in time to at least put Joshua to bed. Rushing into the house, he dropped his bag by the front door and made his way straight to his son's bedroom. He could see the light shining from under the door. There was a chance that he was still awake. 

Joshua was awake alright. Awake and playing with his train set in the middle of the floor. He squealed when he saw his daddy. Jughead bought his index finger to his lips and shushed him softly. Betty was fast asleep on Joshua's bed with an open book resting on her chest. Jughead walked over and with a soft kiss on her forehead, woke her up.

Jughead smiled at her. "Who put whom to bed?" he asked jokingly. 

Betty let out a groan. "I was so sleepy and Joshua has the energy of two toddlers. Can you..." her voice trailed off. 

"Of course, my sleeping beauty. I'll put him to bed after I play trains with him."

"Not too late. He has to be up by 7:00 am. I have class at 8:00 am and I cannot be late," Betty said as started to get up from the tiny toddler bed. Jughead helped her up and tilting her chin with his index finger, he gave her a soft peck on her lips. 

"You look so sexy, maybe we have some fun," Jughead wriggled his eyebrows playfully, "once I get the little monster to bed."

"Ha! By the time, you put him to bed, you'll be as tired as me."

"I'm never tired to ravish my beautiful wife."

"We'll see," Betty said as she kissed the top of Joshua's head as she went back to the bedroom.

Jughead was on a mission. He picked up his son and gave him a hug. "Dada! Dada! Dada ome." He hadn't quite mastered the "H" 

"Have you been a naughty boy? Who's the naughty boy making his mommy all tired? You are...yes, you are..." Jughead's baby talk made his son giggle even more. He kissed his son on the cheek and then nuzzled his soft neck causing him to giggle.

"Trains for 5 minutes and then straight to bed," Jughead said in his firmest voice.

Joshua looked up at his father with his beautiful green eyes and laid his head on Jughead's shoulder. The little tyke was tired so Jughead started to pace the floor and sang the nursery rhyme that his mom used to sing to him. 

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word.  
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,  
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,  
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,  
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won't pull,  
Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull..."

Peeking at his son, Jughead realized that Joshua was fast asleep. He walked over to the bed and slipping out of his shoes, he used one of his socked feet to pull the bed covers down. He gently laid his son on the dark blue sheets and tucked him in. He knelt by his bedside for a few seconds longer and stroked his dark brown hair, pushing it aside to kiss his forehead. "Goodnight, Josh. Daddy loves you."

Jughead picked up his shoes, switched off the light and walked out the door, slowly closing the door behind him.

Betty was surprisingly not asleep. She had changed into a red cami and matching panties and looked refreshed after her little nap. She was reading a book. 

"Mission accomplished?" Betty asked without looking up. 

"Yes with surprising swiftness, I might add. And now I move on to my next mission." Jughead threw his shoes into his closet. He quickly removed his shirt, pants and socks. He dropped them into the hamper. Wearing just his black boxers, he slipped into the rest room to freshen up. 

When Jughead came out, Betty had placed the book by her bedside and had taken the body lotion.

"Let me," Jughead said as he took the bottle from her and sat by the foot of the bed. He squirted a small dollop of lotion and rubbed them on Betty's left foot. He started to massage it using both hands. 

Betty let out a loud moan of approval. "Oh honey, I'm in heaven. Don't stop!" Betty begged. 

Jughead smiled. He put a little more pressure as he brought both hands from the heel of her foot up to her toes. After a minute, he moved on to the right foot and did the same. Then, he shifted up and placing both of her legs on either side of him, he pumped another dollop of lotion onto his hand. He rubbed both hands together to warm the lotion and with his clenched fist, he lifted Betty's red tank top exposing her bulging belly. He rubbed the lotion on it.

"How's that?" Jughead asked.

"Not as good as the foot massage but still good," Betty said approvingly. 

"Well, you did wake up last night complaining of an itchy tummy."

"I don't understand why its so itchy this time round. It wasn't this bad with Joshua."

"Maybe it's a girl. They say if the baby has a lot of hair then the skin on the stomach feels itchy."

Betty gave Jughead a disbelieving look and asked, "Who told you that old wives's tale?"

"I looked it up on the internet."

Betty laughed and caught a hold of both of Jugheads hands which was still moving in circles around her stomach with her own. "Let's see if you are right. and I can't wait to find out the sex of the baby."

"Two more weeks and we can find out," Jughead said excitedly. "I know it's a girl."

"Because of my itchy stomach? It could be a hairy boy, you know."

Jughead winced. "Like a werewolf baby?"

"Yes. Like a werewolf baby," Betty giggled. 

Jughead gave her a toothy smile and looked at her belly.

"Now I know a better place for your hands to go..." Betty said seductively as she moved both of his hands to her breasts and Jughead's eyes immediately started to darkened. He squeezed them gently and rubbed his thumbs across both the nipples. They hardened at the contact. He gently moved to lay on top of her. "Is this still okay?"

"It's perfect," Betty let out a sigh and pushed her hands through Jughead's black hair pulling the locks firmly.

Jughead closed his eyes and leaned to kiss his wife. He sucked on her thick lower lip and rubbed his tongue on the soft skin. He moved his hands from her breasts to her face, holding her gently and rubbing his thumbs across her cheekbones. He rubbed his erection against her and he could feel her wetness through the fabric of his boxers and her thin cotton panties. 

Betty pulled her legs back till her feet were flat on the mattress and thrust upward just as her hands left Jughead's hair and pressed his buttocks so that his erection could touch her core. 

Jughead placed his forearms on either side of her and hoisted himself up. Betty moved her hands from his backside to the top of his boxers, pushing them down till his erection was free. Jughead kicked the boxers away. Betty removed her own panties and held Jughead's manhood. She glided up the shaft and cupped his balls, gently squeezing them. Jughead groaned and Betty looked at his face. His eyes were closed tight and his mouth was agape as the loud sound of his breathing escaped through it. "Betts, please..."

Betty wasn't done teasing Jughead. She moved her hand down again and rubbed the tip of his penis with her thumb. She felt a little cum escape from the tip and she continued to rub the viscous fluid round and round. Her eyes never leaving Jughead's face. She was admiring all the emotions on it- pleasure, impatience and a slight bit of annoyance. His eyes flew open and the darkness of his eyes, even though Betty had seen it hundreds of times before, filled her with pride. She was responsible for him losing his control and showing her everything about himself. 

Jughead smirked. "You are such a tease, Mrs Jones. If you weren't pregnant with my daughter, I would have taken revenge."

Betty placed his penis at her entrance and with a smile, she gave Jughead permission to enter. And enter he did, hard and fast. Betty groaned at the pressure. 

Jughead stopped moving. "You ok?" he asked concerned.

"Yes. Oh my gosh, yes. Don't stop," Betty moaned as she pulled Jughead's face down for a kiss. Jughead lower his forearms slipped them under her back and pulling her to him. Their kisses were rough and urgent. They couldn't get enough of each other. 

"Ah!" Betty hissed a few minutes later as she tore her mouth away from Jughead's and sunk her teeth into the skin above his collarbone. Her release made her curl her toes involuntarily into the mattress and arch her back. Jughead pushed his face into the pillow beside Betty's head. He could smell her lavender soap on her skin. He moved faster as he joined her climax.

Jughead rolled off of her, both of them breathing heavily, sweat misting their skin. Betty threw her leg over Jughead's and placed her hand over his chest, feeling his heart thump. 

Neither of them said a word as their body slowed down to normal. Betty turned her head towards Jughead. His face was slightly pink and he was half asleep with a peaceful smile on his face, one hand in his hair and the other under Betty. 

Betty slide off the bed and picked up Jughead's boxer. She threw it at his face which woke him up from his daze. He pulled it on as Betty went to the bathroom to clean up. Returning she pulled up her panties and then switched off the light. Jughead had fallen into a deep sleep, snoring softly. Betty kissed him gently on the lips, which cause Jughead to snort noisily. Betty giggled and rested her head on his chest, snuggling up to him. Jughead's arm slipped under her and pulled her closer to him, he rested his lips on the top of her head and they fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jones family is growing bigger! Kudos and comment are appreciated. :)

Two weeks later:

Betty was lying down on the cold examination table. Jughead was on one side holding her hand tightly. He was so excited that he couldn't stop moving. He shifted in his chair and kept shaking his feet. 

"Hon," Betty said laughing, "can you not hold my hand so tight? I think it's numb."

"Sorry. Sorry," Jughead said as he loosened his grip. He had his video camera ready to tape the gender reveal. The occasion seemed too big to use his smartphone. Joshua was with his godfather, Archie, and they were going to the train station to see the trains. Joshua's obsession was Archie's delight. 

The technician walked in with a smile on her face. "Mr. and Mrs. Jones. My name is Gail. I'll be checking you this morning. From your chart, I see you had one ultrasound at six weeks, am I right?"

"Yes," Betty answered. 

"Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?" 

"Yes," Jughead replied quickly. "We want to know. I'm thinking pink elephants and unicorns."

Gail laughed as she lifted up Betty's shirt and squeezed a bit of the warm gel on her stomach. Using the probe to rub the warm gel all over, Gail starts her examination.

"I'm going to get some measurements and some photos of the head, heart, kidney, femur and I'll let you guess the baby's sex," Gail said cheerfully.

Gail looked at the screen, and something changed in her face. Jughead tightens his grip on Betty's hand involuntarily. Betty didn't notice the added pressure; her heart started to race. "Oh, God! Please let everything be okay," she prayed silently.

"So did you have any blood tests? Did the doctor say anything about you being bigger than normal?" Gail asked.

"No," Betty said glancing at Jughead and looking back at Gail. "Is everything Ok?"

"Does daddy want to record the heartbeat?" Gail asked.

Relief flooded through both parents. There was a heartbeat. That was good news. 

"Yeah, I can," Jughead said as he let go of Betty's hand and positioned it to record the monitor. Gail pressed a couple of buttons and increased the volume. "Do you hear that?" 

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

"That's your baby!" Gail chirped, and then she moved the probe to the left. "And that's the second heartbeat."

"What!" Betty said surprised.

Jughead laughed. "Oh my gosh! Are we having twins?"

"It looks like it," Gail said, her eyes not leaving the screen. "Two very healthy babies. I see two placentas and two sacs, fraternal twins most likely. I'm not a 100% confident about that. I can call the doctor in for a second opinion, but everything else looks great." 

Betty and Jughead beam at each other and Jughead mouths an "I love you" to his wife.

"Now, about the gender....." Gail starts.

"No. Don't tell us!" Jughead said it slightly louder than he intended on. 

Gail turns around and looks at Jughead and then Betty. " So, you don't want to know?"

"Juggie, this is already a surprise, and it's twins. We need to prepare and.." Betty said

"I want to know, Betts. I just want to have those gender reveal parties. These are twins! We need to build it up."

Betty lifts her left eyebrow and looks at her husband. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Gail can put the photos and genders in the envelope," Jughead turned to his wife and said, "and I will hand it to Ronnie or Cheryl. You know they live to do this kind of stuff."

Betty rolls her eyes and looks at Gail, "Sorry Gail. My husband loves the drama."

Gail only smiles and looks at Jughead. "You may want to turn around for the next few minutes. The photos can be pretty clear."

Jughead put his camera down and walked over to the seat next to Betty's head. He takes hold of her hand and brings it up his mouth to kiss it. Sitting down, he continues to hold one hand with his and then gently rubs Betty's forehead with the other.

"Are you ok with all this?" Jughead whispers.

"I'm in shock," Betty said as she looks at Jughead. The room is dark, and she can't make out his features, but she knows that he's smiling from his voice. 

"So am I. Twins! I don't think I've even seen twins except on some Disney show."

"We are going to have to buy an extra crib, an additional car seat... It's going to be expensive." Betty sais worriedly. "This was not in our plans."

"But it's great, Bets. We will manage. We always do. I can ask Mr. Andrews to come over and see if we can expand the office room at the back and add a bath."

"Oh honey, no. You need an office," Betty objected to her husband's suggestion.

"We don't need to decide this second. We have 20 weeks." Jughead said soothingly.

"We have just 20 weeks! I think I am going to panic." 

"Babe," Jughead said as he kissed Betty lightly on the lips. "We are going to be fine. I promise you."

"But..." Betty started.

"No buts. We are going to enjoy this," Jughead said determinedly. 

Gail got up and handled Jughead the envelope. "Here you go." Jughead takes it from her. "Thank you."

"Have fun, kids. Congratulations and I'll let the doctor know. You can get dressed." With that Gail walks out.

Jughead helps Betty up, and she gets dressed. While buttoning herself up, Betty looks at Jughead. He's leaning against the wall, staring at her. 

"What?" Betty asked. She lifted an eyebrow and gave Jughead a smile. He doesn't say anything but continues to look at her. "What?" Betty asked again.

Jughead walked over and situated himself between Betty's legs. "I am crazy about you," he brushes a strand of hair from her face. He captures Betty's lips mouth with his own, she answers. "Crazy about you too, Juggie." 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Josh is asleep. Do we include Josh?" Archie asked as he held out his camera to video the moment. 

"Nah! He won't understand, and he'll launch himself onto the cake. He'll be on a sugar high till next week," Betty said.

Jughead placed his hands around his wife, and they held the knife together. 

Cheryl brought the cake over and said, "So it's a two layered cake. One gender color is on top, and then there is a buttercream frosting and the second is on the bottom."

Placing the cake in front of the couple, Cheryl sits between Kevin and Veronica. She rolls her eyes as Archie, Ronnie, and Kevin all have their cameras out to capture the moment.

The young parents slice the cake and then move the knife to slice the cake again. Betty takes the slice and places it on a plate. 

"It's blue," Betty screams.

"and blue," Jughead sounds surprised. 

Betty throws her hands around Jughead and kisses his neck. She feels him stiffen up a little and draws back to see his expression. 

Before Betty could ask her husband anything, the whole gang joins in their celebration.

"Twins!" Cheryl said in glee. "You guys are in so much trouble."  
_____________________________________

As Jughead gets ready for bed, Betty asked, "You can tell me anything; you know that right?"

Jughead stopped removing the shams from the bed and looked at Betty. "I'm excited about the babies. But I'm slightly...I don't know...not disappointed. Just ...I was hoping we would be having a girl. I know no baby would replace our first one, but I don't know a small part of me hoped...It sounds horrible." Jughead sits on the bed 

Betty sits next to Jughead and rubs his back with her hand. "No. I felt that way when I found out about Joshua."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jughead asked.

"Because as you said. It sounds horrible," Betty leans on Jughead's shoulder. "Look...we're never going to forget Ariella, and we've moved on...mostly. There will always be small reminders and wishful thinking here and there. I think we can forgive ourselves for that."

Jughead nodded and leaned his head on Betty's as they sit in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty does something to anger Jughead.
> 
> Reviews are appreciated. :)

Jughead walked into the house earlier than usual. He was greeted with the sound of nursery rhymes playing on the TV. "Strange," Jughead thought. Betty never lets Josh watch TV on a weekday. He kissed Josh's head and asked him, "Where's Mommy?"

"Mommy on phone in the kitchen, daddy," Josh said as he continued to stare at the screen before him.

"Where are Jack and Jeremy, little buddy?"

"In their room."

Jughead ruffled Josh's hair and walked towards the kitchen. He wasn't being quiet but Betty obviously didn't hear him walk in. She had her back to him and her phone pressed against her ear. 

"You need to stop calling me. If Jughead finds out, he's going to be really upset," Betty whispered. Jughead stopped moving towards Betty. His heart was racing. 

Someone was saying something on the other side that Jughead couldn't make out. Betty responded, "I can't. You have to understand that I can't do this again if..." She turned around and saw Jughead staring at her. 

"I have to go," Betty said scared as her eyes met her husband's.

Betty disconnected the call and placed the phone on the kitchen counter. Looking at Jughead, she said,"I guess I owe you an explanation."

"Who was that?" Jughead asked angrily.

Betty blanched slightly. "You don't understand. He called me and I ..."

"Who was it?" Jughead said slowly.

"FP," Betty whispered.

Jughead's face became red and his hands were clenched into fists. "I told you never to talk to him."

"He called..."

"You could have hung up on him."

Betty reached to touch Jughead but he pulled away and turned around. 

"I couldn't, Juggie. He's your dad and he wanted to see the babies. Please don't be angry," Betty pleaded.

"The one thing I've asked of you. No, begged of you was to never ever talk to my dad. The one thing," Jughead said holding out his index finger.

"I know..." Betty reasoned. "But your dad is trying to connect to you. To us.It's better than having parents who don't care."

"Was this the first time that he has called?" Jughead asked.

"No," Betty said. "He's called a few times."

"A few..." Jughead couldn't even finish the sentence. He walked to the twins room. Both of them were standing in their cribs, drooling and making cooing noises. The second they saw Jughead, they both smiled. 

Putting his feeling aside, Jughead picked up Jeremy and put him in Jack's crib. They both flopped on the bed and started to play with each other. He heard Betty behind him but didn't turn around. He was so angry and he didn't want to say something that he'll regret.

"Juggie," Betty said and then sighed. "You have to understand..."

"No," Jughead turned around and faced Betty. "I don't have to understand. He was a terrible father. He let me down again and again. He hurt me and left me homeless. Do you get how horrible he is?"

"I do," Betty said. "But he's changed. He got his 3-year chip yesterday."

"It's about time," Jughead mumbled. "Tell me everything. I need to know how many times you spoke to him. When and where. Everything."

"The first time was when I was pregnant with Josh. He wanted to see him after he was born. I said that he needed to take that up with you. The second time was shortly after I brought the twins home. He really wanted to see them. I told him I'd think about it. This was the third time. He told me he was better and he's three years sober."

"That's it?" Jughead asked.

"That's it!" Betty confirmed.

Jughead ran a hand through his dark head. He was still angry and was shaking trying to control it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You get so upset and you take days to get back to normal. I thought if he really wanted to visit, he would call you. I asked Archie and he said that F.J is such a sore spot in your life that I should just ignore his calls," Betty told Jughead.

"You found the time to ask Archie about my feelings on my father wanting to visit my kids but you didn't mention it to me. Wow! Don't you have everything covered?"

"Juggie, it wasn't like that," Betty said. "I should have told you but so many days had gone by and I didn't know how to..."

Juggie cut Betty off by raising his hand to her. "I can't, Betty. I can't talk about this anymore without exploding and I don't want to do that."

Betty walked to Jughead and grabbed the lapel of his jacket. "Then lose control. Yell! Scream! Shout! You don't have to hold it all in. You always do that. You hold everything in and I don't need you to be brave. I need you to be you." She looked at his gray eyes. She could see how angry he was and she wanted him to express his feeling. Not walk away or seethe inwardly.

"Betty," Jughead grabbed Betty's hands and pulled them from his lapel. "I can't do this now. Not in front of the kids."

Betty sighed and closed her eyes. "Please..." she begged.

Jughead walked to the kitchen and opened up the oven. It was Tuesday. Chicken pot pie, spinach salad and peach cobbler for dinner. Betty had made a menu once the twins were born and had stuck to it. It was an efficient way of running the house. With three kids below the age of 3, Jughead admired how Betty had everything in order. Doctor's appointments, playdates, birthdays, swim classes, kiddy gym time...He was always in awe of her. 

Setting the table while Betty got the twins changed and ready for dinner, Jughead thought about his father. He hated him. Hated not being a normal teenager. Being abandoned by his parents, taking care of his father until he couldn't take it anymore. He left and had to live in the drive-in and then under the stairs at school, Archie taking him in had been a relief but also humbling.

"Josh, wash your hands and come to the table. Switch off your cartoon, please." Jughead told his son.

Jughead set up the high chairs and placed the pureed chicken pot pie into small bowls. The twins ate whatever they did in a slightly less spicy and more mashed up form. 

Betty appeared carrying both the boys. They had their bibs on and were ready to be fed. Jughead noticed her red eyes but didn't say anything.

Josh took his seat next to Jughead. Both parents fed one baby each and ate their own dinner at the same time. Neither of them said a word which left Josh to talk. He did so, gladly, speaking a mile a minute. Both Jughead and Betty tried listening to him and answering his questions but for the most part, they just were wrapped up in their own thoughts. After dinner, Jughead offered to clean and put the twins to bed while Betty was left to tackle Josh. 

Returning to their bedroom, Jughead saw Betty in bed. She was sitting cross-legged waiting to discuss things with Jughead. He, on the other hand, didn't want to discuss anything. He got ready for bed and hoped Betty could see that he wasn't in the talking mood. she didn't!

"Juggie," Betty said as he walked to his side and started to get into bed.

"Betts, I want to sleep. Just sleep. I've had a long day and hearing FP's name just made it worse," Jughead said with a sigh.

"But..." 

"Oh, my gosh, Betty," Jughead yelled as he threw back the quilt and got out of bed, "I told you I didn't want to discuss this. Why the fuck can't you let it go?" Jughead rarely lost his temper. He looked at a stunned Betty. Her eyes were wide open and her face was pale. "I can't deal with this right now. I'm going to sleep on the couch." He grabbed a pillow and stormed to the living room. He put the pillow down and placed the throw on himself. 

Jughead wasn't sleepy. He stared at the ceiling. He hated feeling this angry. FP's name brought about the feelings of insecurity that he should have let go a long time ago but even after all these years, he wasn't able to shake off. He was scared that one day he was going to wake up and everything beautiful in his life was going to disappear, his wife, his children, his friends, his house and even his beat up old car. 

Tossing and turning for more than an hour, Jughead hated sleeping anywhere without Betty. She was his anchor and just lying down next to her, was enough to calm him down. But this time, Jughead couldn't do it. He heard the creak of the bedroom door as it opened. He could see Betty's silhouette but he gave no indication that he was awake.

Betty knelt next to Jughead's face and stroked his cheek with her finger. "Juggie?" she whispered.

"I'm awake, Betts."

"Come to bed. I'm so sorry. We don't have to talk," Betty pleaded.

Jughead couldn't make out Betty's expression but he knew that she had been crying from her voice. Guilt struck him hard and sharp right in his chest. He didn't say anything but reached out and caught a hold of both Betty's arms. He pulled her to himself until she was on top of him. "I'm not angry with you. I just hate him so much. I hate the way he makes me feel. I thought I put him behind me and I can just move on but I can't seem to. He's always there like a shadow. The brighter my life is, the darker my shadow becomes."

"Juggie, it's time to deal with him and move on. I'm not asking you to allow him back into our lives but forgive him. Not for him but for this family," Betty said.

"You're right but I don't know how."

Betty laid a kiss on Jughead's jaw. "Go and see him. Talk to him. Hash it out, scream at him, but let it go."

Jughead kissed Betty's forehead and wrapped his arms around her. He knew she was right. Maybe one day he will talk to FP but that time wasn't now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making up after a fight...

The loud clang of a metal spoon hitting a pan woke Jughead up. He looked around slightly confused. The sun was just coming up and Betty wasn't next to him. 

"Betts," Jughead called out. The door to their restroom was slightly ajar and there was no light. Jughead reluctantly got up from the warm bed and made his way to the kitchen. Betty was cooking and the smell of cooked batter and sizzling meats greeted him. His mouth started to water and not because of the aroma but the sight of his wife in a short night shirt. Her long tanned legs and her round bottom were enticing. 

"Hey," Betty said cheerfully as she walked over to Jughead and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I just made breakfast. Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs." 

"You're up early," Jughead said as he held Betty's hip so that she couldn't move away from him. 

"The twins needed a diaper change and Jake wanted to feed. I couldn't go back to sleep so I just decided to make breakfast," Betty said as she looked up at Jughead's face. She brushed a lock of his hair back and smiled. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"You did but you can make it up to me," Jughead said playfully.

"Breakfast isn't enough to make it up to you?" Betty asked Jughead.

"Nope."

Jughead hoisted her onto the kitchen table. Betty wrapped her legs around Jughead's thighs. Her hands were tangled in his black hair pulling him closer. Their lips met and, even though they had done this hundreds of time before, they explored each other like it was their first time. He pushed her until she laid flat on her back. He made his way from his lips down her jaw, her neck and settled into the nook between her neck and shoulder. He nipped the soft tender skin.

"Oh Juggie," Betty moaned. Her hands slid to his back and her fingers dug into the soft skin. She rotated her hips to get closer to him but instead, Jughead stepped back. His hands made their up her night shirt and he hooked his fingers in the top of her underwear and slid them down. His mouth continued to move down her body sucked her nipple through the thin cotton. 

"Juggie, I just fed the babies. They're a little sensitive and so...ooohhh," Betty arched her back as Jughead continue to suck. She pulled away from Jughead slightly to grab the hem of her night shirt and pulled it over her head. Jughead smiled at the round, soft mounds. "How long till I stop sharing?" He asked. 

"Till they wean themselves," Betty answered.

Jughead grunted. "They are almost a year old. Maybe you can start to initiate the process."

"Are you competing with the babies for boob time?" Betty said with a mock accusatory tone.

"Hey, they have been winning the war their entire lives," Jughead reasoned. 

"You're so silly. But Jeremy has been pushing away for a while now and Jake started to last week as well so maybe you'll get your wish and by their 1st birthday, my breasts will belong to you again."

"I don't think I want to talk about the kids while I'm ogling you," Jughead said.

Before Betty could respond, Jughead sucked the dusty rose nipple of one breast and rolled the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. 

"You better hurry it up. Josh is going to get up soon," Betty said. 

Jughead lifted his head and hitched an eyebrow at his wife. "The perils of being a parent. Remind me to tell Archie and Ronnie that." 

Jughead moved from her breast, down her body to her core. He knelt between her legs and sucked on her clit. Betty threw her head back and held the ends of the table to steady herself. "Oh baby, you really know what you're doing." She whimpered and begged him not to stop. She involuntarily started to move her hips and Jughead placed both hands on her thighs to prevent her from moving. 

"Ahhh..." betty groaned out as she orgasmed. Jughead stood up and with one swift movement dropped his boxers. He moved in between her legs and placed both hands on her hips. 

"No. That's not happening. Sit down on that chair mister." Jughead didn't object and sat down while Betty straddled him. Her core touched his firm manhood. She ran her hands up his chest and grazed his nipples with her nails. It was his turn to moan. She looked into his gray eyes which were almost black with passion. He kissed Betty hard and pushed his tongue between her lips just as he entered her hard and fast. 

Betty moved slowly and teased him with thrust. She arched her back and Jughead settled his head between her breasts. Her skin tasted like salt and caramel. The slapping sound of slicked flesh over flesh echoed through the kitchen. She groaned loudly as another wave of ecstasy rolled over her and that was enough for Jughead to release himself too.

Both of them were panting, sweating and trying to get back to normal. After a few minutes, Betty got up reluctantly. Jughead objected to the movement. But she put on her night shirt signaling that they had to leave their little fantasy and get back to reality. They dressed slowly and Jughead goes to the kitchen sink to wash up and throw some cold water on his face. 

"That was so good. Just what I needed," Betty said when she found her voice again

Jughead nodded and looked at his wife. "I still have it."

Bety laughed and walked over to Jughead. "I think we still have it would be more appropriate." She hugged his back and placed her cheek on it. "We're Ok, right?" Betty said uncertainty.

"Yeah, of course, we are Jughead frowned as he turned around to look at Betty. "Why would you ask that?"

"FP..." It had been just 2 weeks since the fight regarding her father-in-law and things were not quite normal again. She felt this tension between them. 

"We're fine. I promise. FP is just ...someone we ignore," Jughead said as he rested his head on top of Betty's head. 

Betty didn't agree but didn't tell him that. 

"Mommy," Joshua's said as he stood by the fridge. 

"Good morning, Josh" Jughead said cheerfully as he released Betty. He took a couple of kitchen towels and sprayed the kitchen table and chair with some disinfectant. 

"Mommy busy. She made lots of food," Josh said as he clapped his hands in glee. He had the same food obsession as his dad. 

"Very busy, son," Jughead said as he winked at his wife. Betty rolled her eyes as she piled two plates full of food.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead face another hurdle...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Life got busy! But here is the new chapter. Remember: Comments are appreciated!

"Stop running," Jughead said in his sternest voice to Jeremy. But the one-year-old was not getting the message and kept running around the small table in the living room while his brother, Jack, was on his back laughing at his brother's antics. 

"I swear," Jughead mumbled to himself as he finally caught his son and forced him to put on shoes, "How come you guys act up the days I am running behind?" He had to be at work in 15 minutes and the boys were just not cooperating. The 3 brothers all had doctors appointments and Betty was getting Josh ready while Jughead was trying to keep the boys from undressing themselves.

"Let's go," Betty looked tired as she walked into the living room. It was Friday after all and the boys were sick one after the other. Ear infections were not easy. The boys screamed the whole night and slept during the day which threw everyone off schedule. Thank goodness for the weekend! Kevin and Cheryl were coming by to pick up the twins for a stroll in the park. Archie and Jughead were going to take Josh to the monster truck rally while Ronnie was putting finishing touches on the baby room. 

Jughead chuckled to himself. "A girl!" Archie had told him wide-eyed, shell-shocked after their 20-week appointment. "I can't handle another girl in the house." Veronica had shot Archie an angry look but he didn't seem to notice and kept mumbling something about shoes, bathroom vanity makeup, and pearls. 

"Ok boys. To the van," Jughead said picking up the twins. He took them to the minivan and placed them in their seats, buckling them carefully as they tried to wiggle out. 

Betty was right behind him after securing Josh. "Tell bye to daddy, boys." 

After the van door closed, Betty turned to Jughead. "Remember dinner at the Village tonight at 6:00 pm." Jughead groaned. "Why don't we just pick up a pizza and eat at home? We can pop in a movie and ..."

"Juggie, it's our anniversary and I want to go out." Betty folded her arms across her chest. 

"Betty, it's Friday and I'm exhausted. I just want to come home, play with the boys and relax. Why do you insist on doing things for our anniversary that I don't want to do?" Jughead knew he was whining but he couldn't help it. Social occasions were not his thing and insisting on it after a week of deadlines and antibiotics wasn't helping matters.

Betty looked a little hurt. "Juggie, I just want to spend time with you." 

Jughead moved closer to Betty and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "We can spend time together at home."

Betty bit her lower lip, deep in thought and then looked at the boys starting to fuss in the van. She shook her head as she came to a decision, "No. We are going out. Just you and me."

Jughead let out a sigh frustrated. "Fine! We'll do it your way as usual. You always get your way." He wasn't being fair and he knew it. But he was pissed and tired.

"I get my way? Are you being serious?" Betty asked her husband angrily. She stepped away from him and pulled the band of her ponytail. "I can't argue with you about this anymore. This is just too stupid a disagreement to have right now. I'll cancel the reservation and you can pick the pizza and the movie."

Betty turned around and opened the door of the van a little more forceful than she intended on. Jughead ran a hand through his black wavy hair and rested it at the nape of his neck. He knew she needed a break from the kids once and a while. The last time they went out together was on her birthday which was 3 months ago. 

Without another word, Betty slammed the door shut and drove away leaving Jughead alone.  
____________________________________________________________________________________

Just as Jughead reached his office, his phone rang. It was Betty! Jughead didn't want to talk to her. He had a meeting and he knew the conversation was going to be long. He placed his phone in his desk drawer and slammed it shut. The meeting was 30 minutes and he would call her back. 

The meeting was not 30 minutes! Neil Song the editor-in-chief was droning on and on about advertisement money and attracting the younger demographic. 

Suddenly, the door of the conference room slammed open. Archie!

Jughead could feel sweat beads form on his forehead. Something was wrong and he knew it was either Betty or the boys.

Looking straight at Jughead, Archie panted, " There was an accident...."

Jughead stood up on shaky legs and ran to where Archie was. "Betty?..." he asked scared.

Archie nodded. "I don't know anything else. Ronnie called me and told me to get you down there. She must have called you a hundred times..."

"I left my phone in my desk drawer," Jughead and Archie started to walk down the hall to retrieve his phone.

After the two men were seated in the car, Jughead turned to Archie. "We had a fight this morning...If anything happens to her or the boys..." Jughead's voice trailed again.

"I'm sure she's fine, Jug." Archie started the engine, not quite believing in his own words. The car roared to life and they rushed to the hospital, anxious and worried.  
_____________________________________

"Do you have any idea who I am? I am Cheryl Blossom. This hospital was named after my great grandfather- Harold Blossom. Blossom Memorial Hospital," Cheryl's snooty voice was the first thing Jughead heard as he walked across the lobby. The nurses behind the counter were shaking in fear. 

Ronnie stood by Cheryl with a worried expression on her face and was rubbing her swollen belly. Kevin was trying to calm Cheryl down, which was a futile attempt, according to everyone who knew her.

Ronnie was the first one to spot Jughead. She wobbled up to him. "They aren't telling us anything. Cheryl is trying but ..."

Jughead stepped in front of Cheryl. "I'm the husband of Betty Jones."

"The doctor will be out in a minute," a nurse said kindly. "Oh, there he is now..."

Jughead turned around and saw a balding, rotund doctor heading their way. His palms started to sweat and he rubbed it on his jeans. 

"Mr Jones, I'm Dr. Rodinski. Your sons are fine. Josh- has a deep cut on his cheek. We cleaned it up and are waiting for the plastic surgeon to stitch it up. The toddlers are fine. Not even a scratch on them but we would like to keep them all overnight for observation. They are together with a couple of nurses. We thought it would better for all three boys to be together. Let me take you to see them." Jughead nodded wordlessly. He was scared to ask about Betty. He walked alongside the doctor as he spoke. 

"Family only," The doctor said firmly looking at Veronica, Kevin and Cheryl. Archie was just jogging up to the group after parking the car.

"They are family," Jughead said softly. "My wife..."

"I'm not the physician in charge of your wife. I'll ask the doctor to ...speak of the devil." Jughead turned to see Ethel walking towards them.

"Jughead," Ethel hugged him. "I'm just the resident for Betty but I can fill you She has a dislocated shoulder, two fractured fingers, a deep laceration on her forehead. Everything is on the left side. That's where the other car slammed into them. I would have liked to take her for a CT scan but under the circumstances, the radiation from the CT would be harmful in her present state. She fainted which was concerning but she's up now and we have given her minimal painkillers...."

Cheryl interrupted Ethel. "I want her to have the best. The best everything. Private room, whatever scan she needs. I don't care about the expense. The CT scan might be expensive but if she needs it, you do it!" 

Ethel turned to Cheryl. "Believe me, Betty is getting the best care that this hospital can offer." Turning back to Jughead," Now about the baby..."

"The other doctor said the babies were fine," Veronica said. 

"The boys are fine but the baby..." Ethel's voice trailed off as she saw Jughead's pale face. "Betty's pregnant. Didn't she tell you? I'm sorry. I assumed that you knew. She said she was approx 10 weeks to the paramedics. She lost consciousness after reaching and I didn't get a chance to talk to her."

Jughead stopped walking. He felt his legs stiffen. Kevin was beside him in a second, holding his arm. "Kev, she wanted to go out for dinner and I was being such an ass. She wanted to tell me about the baby and I was just...God! I was awful."

Kevin looked at Jughead. "Betty is fine now and she'll understand."

"No, you don't get it. I was just so mean to her. All she wanted to do was go out for dinner. One meal!" Jughead's face contorted with emotion. 

"Well," Kevin said as he put his arm around Jughead's shoulder and coaxed him to continue moving. "let her know that you were an ass and apologize. Believe me, she's not going to upset."

The five of them followed Ethel stopping right outside the curtain. Jughead moved to go inside, turning to Kevin and Cheryl, he said, "Can you check on the boys? Archie, maybe you and Veronica can go to the house and get some clothes and other stuff for the boys and Betty."

All four of them nodded and ran to do Jughead's bidding. 

Jughead walked in and seeing Betty lying down in bed, he burst into tears. "Baby... I am so sorry. I love you." He rushed over and smoothed down her hair with his hand. Betty looked awful. There were several small cuts on her face and her left arm was in a sling. 

"The boys?" Betty asked Jughead as she reached out to touch his face.

"The boys are fine. Why didn't you tell me about the baby?" Jughead kissed Betty's hand. 

"I wanted to tell you tonight. I just found out 2 weeks ago and, honestly, I was so tired, I kept forgetting I was pregnant."

"I love you. I can't want to see baby peanut," Jughead said. His face finally started to get some color.

"Peanut. I like it. The boys....?

"Cheryl and Kevin are checking up on them. Cheryl can really screech when she wants to. The nurses and doctors must have shit themselves." Jughead laughed remember their expression behind the front desk. 

Right on cue, Cheryl came in with a flick of her long red hair "I told the hospital administrators to move the boys to the VIP suite and they will move you in there too. It's amazing. I picked out the decor for the room last year. It's gorgeous."

Betty and Jughead exchanged a look. Knowing Cheryl, it was going to be bright and gaudy but Jughead couldn't have been more grateful. He walked over and gave her a hug. Cheryl was startled and her arms were at her side for a few seconds before she hugged him back. 

Kevin walked in and smiled at Betty. "Hey, you! How are you feeling?'

Betty smiled weakly. "Good. Now that you are all here."

Kevin turned to Jughead. "You want to see the boys?"

Jughead looked at Betty and said, "I'll make sure they are good and once they move into their room, I'll be back here." He gave Betty a tender kiss on her cheek and walked out. Cheryl followed him and told Kevin over her shoulder. "Kevin, honey. Can you be a doll and keep Betty company? I'm going to text Arch to make sure he brings Josh's train blanket. He'll whine the whole night without it."

Kevin nodded as he pulled a chair to be closer to Betty. "You look awful," He said honestly.

Betty let out a chuckle. She looked at Kevin. "Can you do me a favor? Call my mom."

"Mama Cooper, Kevin's hand flew to his chest. "I think you might have a concussion, sweetie. Why don't we wait a day or two before we make such drastic decisions?"

"Call my mother, Kev. All I could think about if anything happened to me was Jughead. He would be so lost."

"Cheryl, Arch, Ronnie and myself would jump right in. You know that, right?" Kevin said. He was frowning.

"I know that. And I love you all for it. But I think my kids need to have more family. Jughead refuses to patch things up with his family and I know I need to. I think this is the wake-up call I needed to reach out to them."

Kevin reluctantly took out his phone. He went through his contacts and pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello...Mrs. Cooper? This is Kevin. Kevin Keller- Betty's friend from...Yes... No.. No... She's fine. I ...don't...you're asking too many things too fast. Can you slow...? No. Ok, then. Let me pass the phone to Betty." Kevin let out an exasperated sigh and gave the phone to Betty.

"Mom," Betty's voice sounded weaker than Kevin had ever remembered.

"I'm at Blossom Memorial Hospital. I was in an accident. ...I'm fine but ...Yes. I think Cheryl pulled some strings, I'll be moved to the suite."

After listening for a few minutes, Betty smiled and said. "See you then, mom."

Kevin just started at Betty. His eyes were wide open. "Are you sure?"

"I am. And Kevin?"

"Yes?"

"Can you let Juggie know that my parents will be here in 30 minutes?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the accident....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a great weekend. One more chapter to go!
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

Kevin is by Betty's side as she is moved to the VIP suite. Jughead is with his sons and making sure they are comfortable. 

As Betty is wheeled in, Josh lets out a loud squeal of happiness. "Momma, Momma." He's in his own bed and reaches out to her. 

Cheryl picks Joshua up. "Josh, you have to be careful with mommy. She has many boo-boos and you have to be gentle." She places him next to Betty. Joshua immediately snuggles into his mother's side. 

Betty takes her right arm and wraps it around Joshua. "My baby. Does your cut hurt, my love?"

Joshua touches the bandage on his cheek with his plump fingers. "No. It's alright, momma." He reaches to touch his mother's arm in a sling. "Does momma hurt?" His beautiful big gray eyes are staring into Betty's green ones. His concern evident. 

'A little. But momma is going to be all good very soon." She bent down to kiss his forehead and held him closer to her, reassuring him that everything was fine. He seemed satisfied and rest's his head on Betty's chest. His eyes start to droop.

Jughead was busy holding a fussy Jeremy while Cheryl disappeared with Jack. Kevin had flung himself into a chair in the corner. 

"What can I get you, guys? Cheryl says the food here is like a five-star hotel," Kevin asked. 

"I'm good," Jughead said as he continued to soothe Jeremy. Betty and Kevin exchanged a look. Jughead never declined food. 

"Juggie," Betty said softly. "Why don't you just leave Jeremy in the crib and take a walk with Kevin? I'm sure you can pick something up from the VIP lounge. Kevin- Can you ask a nurse to help with Jeremy?"

A soft knock prevented Jughead from answering. 

Veronica popped her head in. "Oh good! We have the right room." She opened the door wider and walked in followed by Archie who dragged in a huge duffel bag.

"Did you just pack up the entire house?" Jughead asked Archie jokingly.

"I don't know. Ronnie packed it. I just carried everything," Archie said exhausted as he wiped his brow. 

"Thanks, man!" Jughead said gratefully. He clapped Archie's back. 

Kevin walked over to Betty and whispered something into her ear. Jughead frowned and gave Betty a pointing look. "What's happening over there?"

Betty looked slightly sheepish and said, "I called my parents. They'll be here any minute." She winced as she finished the last word waiting for Jughead to explode.

Jughead didn't. He took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything except that his family was safe. 

Right on cue, there was another knock. Louder and more urgent. Without waiting for a response, the door flew open. Hal and Alice Cooper were standing at the door. Both of them wore a scared expression, their eyes were huge in anticipation and their lips were pursed into a line. 

"Mom. Dad," Betty said. 

Both parents rushed to Betty and hugged her. Jughead saw Betty's face grimace in pain but the happy tears gathering in her eyes prevented Jughead from saying anything. Their eyes met and he nodded slightly. 

Joshua who was happily settled by his mother's side looked from one grandparent's face to the other trying to work out who these people were.

Alice looked at the boy and said kindly, "I'm your grandma."

Hal walked over to where Jughead was standing and looked at Jeremy. "He looks so much like you Betty. Not the hair but the eyes and his mouth. Where's his twin?" He looked at Jughead and gave him a weak smile as he patted his shoulder.

"Cheryl took him to get a toy. She can handle just one baby at a time," Jughead said. 

There was an uncomfortable silence that descended on the room. Archie and Veronica stood next to Kevin trying to make an escape. Luckily, Cheryl walked in with Jack in tow. He was dragging a huge stuffed monkey bigger than himself, smiling happily. 

"Cheryl, these hospital floors are filthy," Kevin said as he picked up Jack along with the monkey. He placed him in his bed and tucked him in.

Cheryl looked at Kevin like he said the most disgusting thing she had ever heard. "It's the VIP part of the hospital. Believe me, it's cleaner than your dinner plate." She flipped her hair and stopped midway when she saw the Coopers. 

"Mrs. Cooper. Mr. Cooper. I had no idea that you would be coming," Cheryl said through clenched teeth and a stiff smile.

"In all this craziness, I forgot to ask. What happened? The accident, I mean," Jughead asked.

"A nutcase T-boned Betty's car on the driver's side. Ran a red light," Cheryl said.

Jughead felt his temperature rise. 

Kevin quickly interrupted. "It wasn't the guy's fault. He had a heart attack and then ran a red light."

"Oh!" Jughead said. "Is the guy Ok?"

"Yes," Cheryl said as she shifted her weight from one to the other. "He's in the ICU but couldn't he have put on the brakes before he had a heart attack."

"CHERYL," Kevin said appalled by her callous attitude. 

"What? It would have saved us a great deal of trouble. Right, Jughead?"

"Ronnie, maybe I should take you home and you can rest up a bit," Archie said before Jughead could answer. "You look tired and I think your feet are swelling up."

"I'm fine, Archiekins. Stop fussing," Veronica said as her body betrayed her and she let out a yawn. 

Archie shot her an I-told-you-so look as he placed a hand on his wife's lower back ushering her to leave the room. "Guys," He looked at Jughead and then Betty, "if you need anything, call us. I'm going to take Ronnie home to get some sleep and elevate her feet." Veronica rolled her eyes but had a huge smile. She loved that Archie fussed over her. 

"Thanks, Arch," Betty said as Veronica waddled over and gave Betty a hug. 

"I'll get going too. My boss will not be happy with how her media presence has waned over the last 6 hours," Kevin said as he made a move to leave as well. 

"You're right. I'm not happy. I hope you took plenty of photos of me with my godbabies. Babies and puppies. Maybe kittens," Cheryl said. "People love anything cute. It's click bait!." Cheryl stopped and looked at a wingback chair in the corner of the room. "O-M-G. Did I pick out that hideous chair in the corner?"

"Yes," Kevin sighed loudly. "You said it tied the room together. I told you it didn't but you insisted..."

Cheryl and Kevin argued on their way out and could be heard till the elevator doors shut. 

After the four friends left the room hastily, Jughead started to sway. Jeremy had stopped fussing and rested his head on his father's shoulder. "Betty, Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm good," Betty said as she held her mother's hand.

"You should eat something. A sandwich or some pasta?" Jughead said. "Especially since..." He looked warily at Alice and Hal Cooper.

Betty looked from Jughead to her mom and then dad. She bit her lip as she whispered, "I'm pregnant."

Alice Cooper's brow knitted in concern. "Really? That's great, sweetie. Is the baby OK?" She ran her fingers through Betty's hair.

"Yeah. The doctor said that the baby is pretty well cushioned. I need to stay a few days but Cheryl insists I stay for the week. She thinks staying here is a vacation but I really want to go home." Betty unexpectedly burst into tears. 

Jughead moves towards Betty and touches her foot through the thin blanket. "Is everything OK, Betts? Should I get the doctor?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm just hormonal and it's been a tough day." Betty smiled at Jughead weakly as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. 

Jughead nodded. "This sofa turns into a bed. I am sleeping here tonight. I might need to pop out and fill up these forms that the nurses need me to fill."

"I can stay too if that's fine with you Jughead," Alice said hurriedly.

"You can take the sofa then. There's a chair in the corner that looks comfortable," Jughead told his mother-in-law.

"No. No. You take the sofa and I'll take the chair. You need your strength in the morning," Alice said.

Betty looked at her mother. Her mom looked desperate like she was scared to leave in case this was all a dream. Betty understood but knew that Jughead's place was at the hospital. "Mom, why don't you go home? I know this hospital is supposed to be first class but I would really enjoy those cinnamon buns that you make. I've tried but nothing comes close to yours." 

Alice nodded and gave Betty a kiss on her forehead. "See you tomorrow, sweetie."

Hal walked over and kissed Betty on the top of her head. "You look so good. I like your hair short like this. It must be easier with the boys." He smiled as he walked away with Alice. 

"Wow," Jughead breathed out. 

"Wow is right," Betty said. "Old age must be mellowing them out."

"Well, that and 2 daughters that are estranged from them."

Jughead placed a sleeping Jeremy in his bed. All three boys were fast asleep. He made sure they were all tucked in and switched off any unnecessary lights. He didn't bother converting the sofa into a bed but just tucked in a sheet and threw a pillow on it.

Jughead saw Betty watching him and walked over. He placed a soft kiss on Betty's lips. "I'm sorry about this morning."

"Me too. I should have told you about the baby and not made a big deal about dinner," Betty said apologetically. 

"Are you in pain?"

"A little. I think the pain usually comes a day later."

Jughead smiled. "A baby....wow!"

"Last one, right?"

Jughead smiled. "We'll see."


	8. The finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter is in. Hope you enjoyed it.

It's was a little after 10:00 am and Jughead had just pulled into the driveway. His phone gave a little ping indicating that someone had left him a text message.

_"You awake?"_

It was Archie.

Jughead doesn't reply but, instead, called his best friend.The phone rang just once before Archie answered. "Hey Arch, what's up?"

"I'm driving the baby around. She is colicky and Ronnie needed a break. The only thing that helps is driving Isabella. So I'll be driving for the next hour or so. Thought I'd catch up with you."

"Everything is good here, Arch. Just got home. Betty texted that the boys were asleep and she was going to bed but..." Jughead stopped Alice Cooper's car on the curb in front of their house. "Why is Alice here?"

"Mama Cooper giving you a hard time?"

"No. Not really. Betty has learned to speak up for herself. She puts her mother in her place if she crosses the line. But Hal...he's ...I don't know. Disappointed in me I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"He was shocked that I don't play any sports or even watch it. He couldn't believe I never introduced the boys to fishing or hunting. And he's taken it upon himself to show the boys all this stuff that I have no knowledge about. It's a good thing, I guess. He is expanding heir horizon. Hal certainly loves them and he's very patient but I feel kind of let out."

"You should tell him to back off if you don't like it," Archie said.

"I don't not like it. Josh is so happy and Hal took him ice skating the other day. The kid's a natural. I mean, he skated like a professional. Jeremy sticks to me and kind of hates sports. That's certainly my child. Jack is happy with whatever like Betty. I can't complain."

"Well, as long as you are OK with everything...Shoot! Ronnie's on the other line. I'll call you tomorrow when I have to take Isabella for another drive. Tell Betty "Hi" from me and in less than 4 weeks, we can both carpool our babies as they cry."

"Haha! I might have to, right?"

"Talk to you later, bro. And by the way, guess who's back in town?"

"Who? Moose?"

"Nope. Kevin's on-again-off-again boyfriend."

"Joaquin is here? Cheryl is going to be all stressed out. Remind me to avoid her calls for the next few weeks."

"Good luck with that! You know Cheryl, she'll just turn up at your doorstep. Bye."

"Bye."

Jughead hung up the phone and got out of the car. He wondered why Alice was here so late. She usual left before dinner unless something was wrong. Jughead walked through the front door and saw his mother-in-law sitting on the sofa. Her eyeglasses perched precariously at the edge of her nose. Totally engrossed in reading something on her laptop.

"Alice," Jughead said.

"Jughead. Betty and the boys are asleep but I think we need to talk," Alice said without looking up.

Jughead was a little nervous. "Sure. I'm going to get my plate from the oven. Betty said she left my dinner there."

"Pish-posh," Alice said. "You sit down. I'll bring you a plate. Would you like a drink too?"

"Sure," Jughead hesitated. He sat down opposite to the seat Alice had just vacated. After Alice gave Jughead his plate and placed a can of soda next to him, she sat down. "I took the liberty of reading your unfinished manuscript. It's been in the making for years now."

Jughead looked at the laptop. It was his old one. He rarely used it since work assigned him a laptop. "It's been 4 years since I even touched it. I don't remember what I wrote."

"Well, I read it. And I have to say it's quite good. To say, I was surprised is an understatement. Why isn't it being completed and sent to editors to be published?"

"Alice, I have 3 kids and 1 on the way. They need to eat so I put my aspirations on the back burner. Betty is in her final semester of college. Her Masters took a lot longer than we anticipated with the house and the kids... and just life in general. I think we need to concentrate on Betty for a while," Jughead said. He bit into his Philly Steak sandwich and watched as Alice frowned.

"Sell the house. Move in with Hal and me."

"What?" Jughead said longer than he intended on. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I just can't. I'm a grown up. I'm not moving in with my in-laws."

Alice leaned back in her seat. "I never had any support from my family. I could have been someone. I was smart, gutsy, dependable but, as you know, I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. I had to claw my way out of there. I met Hal and, well, everything else is history. A small part of me was scared and I settled with Hal. Don't get me wrong. I love the man but I always wondered what could have been. It's too late for me but you...You have potential, the love of your life and you have our support. Don't let your ego get in the way of that."

"It's not ego, Alice. My mother was never there for me and my father tried but failed. I have to be there for my children. I never want them to feel what I felt. I want to put Betty and the kids first," Jughead said defensively. 

"My boy! I'm not asking you to dump them and fly across the world. I'm asking you to finish your manuscript. Take a sabbatical for a year and finish the damn thing. If they don't give you a sabbatical, screw them. Quit and you can join our newspaper. You're a good writer and we could use you. This manuscript," Alice pointed to his laptop, "is gold. Don't waste your talent. You might be a little rusty and I know you need money from the sale of this house to live on for the next year but you can do it."

"I don't know what to say. I have to ask Betty," Jughead said.

"Ask her," Alice said as she closed the laptop and placed it on the coffee table. She walked across the room and picked up her bag. "No strings, Jug-Head." Jughead winced.

God! He hated the way Alice said his name. It sounded so condescending. Alicia left closing the door behind her.

_______________________________________________________________

Betty was asleep when Jughead entered the room. She was hugging her body pillow, snoring softly, a little dribble leaving her mouth and leaking onto her pillow. He stripped his clothes and slipped in between the cool sheets. He ran a finger over her cheek. She stirred.

"Betts," Jughead whispered. Betty's eyes flew open. "Juggie. You're home."

"Can we talk?" Jughead asked.

"Yeah. Of course," Betty got up and pulled herself up the bed, resting on the headboard. "What's up?"

"Your mom..." Jughead started.

"God! What did she do this time?" Betty said interrupting Jughead. "Did she want to burn the couch again? I told her that's the first item that we purchased together and it has sentimental value..."

"No," Jughead said as he placed a hand on Betty's face to calm her down. "it's about my manuscript."

"Oh?" "Yeah. She found my old laptop and read the whole thing. She just left after she commented on it."

"I'm so sorry. I guess you feel that she violated your privacy. She's like that. I'll talk to her about it." Betty said. She looked embarrassed.

"It's not that. She liked it." Jughead said disbelievingly.

"The manuscript?" Betty asked.

"Yeah. She actually came up with a plan." Jughead filled Betty on the whole conversation with her mother.

"Wow! Mom being supportive," Betty said. "That's not too surprising. But her overstepping is totally her."

"Overstepping?"

"Selling our home?" Betty raised her eyebrow.

"Well....she has a point about it." Jughead looked down at the quilt covering his legs.

"So you think you want to move in with my parents? Sell the house? Quit your job?" Betty questioned.

"No. I'm saying we should think about it," Jughead said.

"Juggie," Betty leaned so that their foreheads were touching, "being in the same house as my parents is like going back to Alcatraz once you've escaped."

"Your childhood home is Alcatraz?" Jughead asked jokingly.

"Well, apart from it being surrounded by water, it's the same. Cold, clammy and guarded by crazy correction officers."

Jughead smirked. "So it's a no?"

"No, it's like let's put a pin in it."

**3 weeks later:**

Holding his baby girl, Jughead lovingly looked at her face. He touched the soft black hair. She was completely his child. No denying it. Her dark hair, long fingers, the lips. The only thing she had inherited from Betty was her green eyes. She was gorgeous, he was going to have to beat every boy who came within 10 feet of her. Thank goodness, for Josh, Jeremy, and Jack! He was sure they would help him in this endeavor.

Alice walked into the nursery.

"Jug-Head. Your last day of paternity leave. How's the baby?"

"She's perfect. Better than perfect," Jughead said staring at the tiny baby in his arms.

"Take her to Betty. I think it's time for a feeding. I want to drop the boys off with Hal. He's waiting to take them to the baseball game," Alice said.

"Alice...I thought about your offer. Betty and I discussed it in length. We'd like to take you up on it," Jughead said.

"Good. I look forward to seeing your name in every bookstore in the country. Maybe you can dedicate the book to your darling mother-in-law," Alice smirked. "I was just kidding." Alice walked out of the room.

Jughead wasn't sure it was a joke.

____________________________________________________

Archie was bringing in the last box from the truck while Kevin and Joaquin were in the kitchen drinking freshly squeezed lemonade. Betty and Veronica were in the living room, feeding the babies. Cheryl was on the floor, reading a picture book to Jeremy. Hal and Alice were in the backyard jumping on the brand new trampoline along with Josh and Jack. Jughead was leaning against the wall in the living room, observing everyone. Life wasn't always perfect, but man, it was pretty close to it. He took out his phone and looked through his list of contacts and stopped when he saw FP's name. Jughead texted....Hey, Dad. How are you?

THE END


End file.
